The Palace in the Stars
by Parajuvenilis-Stephanie
Summary: After a rather strange conversation with his royal Advisor, Kamek, Bowser decides that if he wants to win the hand of the Mushroom Princess, he's going to have to do it 'right'. Meanwhile in the Mushroom Kingdom, Peach is suffering under conflict as a lovestruck Mario and a desperate Toadsworth place her under indeterminable pressure. Is it pressure enough to change her?
1. Chapter 1: Spicy Chicken damnit!

This story begins on a lunchtime, where a King sat in his throne – or rather, hunched – and a depressing air enveloped him thicker than the dark entrails of a team of Boos. It was the day of his anniversary; the eleventh year since he had married 'her - a fierce Koopa female with dark blue hair and a scolding hot hand to match. She birthed him eight children; Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Ludwig, Roy, Lemmy and Bowser Jr.

But while his children merely resided in the other room, she was anywhere but in the Koopa Kingdom.

Throughout years of their marriage, Bowser had hated the crap out of her. She was loud and boisterous and rebellious to him. Three of many things Bowser wouldn't stand for.  
The arranged marriage merely certified his monarchy. But she filled a void within him; one that she clawed her way out of after it was evident her husband only wanted her for the kingly status achieved by wedlock.

It had been the seventh year since she stormed out leaving him with eight children and the eldest, Ludwig, only reaching his fourth birthday.

Bowser let out a low, gruff sigh and switched the hefty palm that he held his head in. Two months, and it would be his thirtieth birthday. With the stress of a large multicultural military, an empire and eight children, Bowser was hard pressed to say he could still feel the fire of his youth. Any that was left was used up in shouting at his children or lost in defeat of his nemesis, an Italian plumber named Mario. Bowser could still not get over his two latest defeats despite the great advantages he had of space and his galactic empire. And both times, Princess Peach called out to him and smiled at his oh-so-valiant arrival. He growled and sank in further at the thought – Bowser quickly turned his head left to muse at his advisor's tediously bored, but attentive expression.

The magikoopa had been stood before him for perhaps half an hour, waiting for a response from his master. Bowser's sudden head movement made him look up in hope that he wouldn't have to stand in silence any longer.

"Is everything alright your greatness?" He said, a little too bitterly. His voice had a way of clawing the echoes that bounced off the walls; it was scratchy, and almost crude.  
In turn, Bowser gave a glare so intense that Kamek's glasses physically joggled on his cheekbones and he stuttered nervously to somehow counteract his tone. Bowser knew it would irritate his servant more to do nothing else, so he did.  
Kamek shook with impatience. He cleared his throat and gulped.  
"Did you require my assistance in anything... personal on your mind?" He inquired calmly. It annoyed Bowser that Kamek could pull off a serene tone(well, as much as that obnoxious screech could be serene) so well when he had tried so hard to frustrate him. However, after a minute or two, he decided to respond.

"I'm hungry for some spicy chicken."

The old magikoopa twitched in surprise.  
"...O-oh, right away, I'll have a feast prepared for you your burliness."

"Forget the feast. Just give me spicy chicken."

Kamek gulped, and raised the curve of his brows. It was odd for Bowser to not want to make a big thing out of eating; the King always liked to make a big show out everything. It was practically the epitome of his arrogance.

"U-uh... but-"  
King Bowser was eyeing him impatiently, his piercing arched irises darkening.  
Kamek sighed and raised his arm, consolidating the effort to produce a large, floating plate, piled with hot spicy chicken legs from the magic of his staff. Bowser then proceeded to gorge crudely over the huge dish. It was practically dripping with hot sauce.

"Alwmos' as nice as tha' damned Fawful's spiceh' chucken," was the most Kamek could hear through the Koopa's gross eating habit. With his neat blue hat and tunic and the white cuffs folded perfectly, Kamek still found it quite unbearable to watch the way his master inhaled a plate of dripping meat every day. As much as he detested Bowser's children, Kamek found himself worried that his sons or even his daughter may pick up the gross habit. Roy had already made a head start.

Kamek pinched his eyebrows together in repulsion when an airborne blob of sauce landed on the tip his neat burgundy shoes. There was a great slurp at one point in which Kamek was sure even the deaf hag Kammy will have heard on the other side of the damn castle.

After Bowser had quickly finished, Kamek cast away the plate into nothingness and awaited his master again. Already had the great Koopa nestled back into his looming cloud of deep thought and misery; it was a mood that was very rarely evoked from the King.  
In fact Kamek was sure only him and one or two subordinates had witnessed Bowser's capacity for depression.  
Easy to say it was a mood Kamek occasionally longed for; Bowser would never harm a fly in this state.  
He had to stand a while in silence again until the King sighed deeply.

"I want more chicken."

"Perhaps you should not gorging on comfort food your evilness."

"Shut it Kamek. Don't whine at me."

"But, your hideousness, spicy chicken will not solve your problems. It will n-"

"Shut up, you twit! I demand more!"

"Bu-"

"Kamek!"

The shaking magikoopa raised his hands to calm him.

"Your greatness you are acting very strangely!" Was all Kamek could say as Bowser's fresh spicy chicken breath smacked him full force in the face. Bowser suddenly stopped, and leant back. His skull made a hard clunk on the head of his throne.

"Yeah. What the hell was that." He said gruffly to himself. He hit his head on the throne again and sighed deeply. Kamek stepped forward, making sure not to accidently swab the hem of his tunic on the mocking evil blob on his shoe.

"You do not look well, your toughness." Kamek said gently. Bowser made a brief face like he was actually about to cry, but it was replaced by a bored expression. He leant forward a little again and flicked a loose cobblestone from the arm of his throne. It unintentionally hit Kamek on the glasses, and through a fresh crack Kamek saw Bowser's mischievously goofy smirk.

"Ha ha; couldn't have aimed that better." He chuckled. Kamek removed his glasses with a pompous cry and began to fuss over them agitatedly, which caused a rich rumble of laughter from Bowser. After muttering something high-pitched and frustrated under his breath, Kamek placed the glasses back on his face and examined his master. Bowser was soon glum again, staring at his sharp clawed feet. There was another short silence.

"Have you made any preparations to capture the Princess again? F-For the kingdom's power, your devilishness..." Kamek tried to ask. Bowser quirked an eyebrow disdainfully.  
It was as clear as glass that Bowser had quite a little more than a business interest in the beautiful Princess Peach, and Bowser knows that Kamek suspects it. To any onlookers it was perhaps even obvious – however the minions that occupied the castle appeared to be too stupid to recognise their own face. Bowser's original intentions to capture her all those years ago have, according to him, never changed; to consolidate power in the Mushroom Kingdom. But to Kamek, an inclusive factor now strongly participates. Bowser longs for a partner again, he saw. And Kamek thinks that after Bowser had seen the Princess in the skin for the first time, he since has had a different type of proposal on his mind.

The Koopa King still hadn't responded, but his grumpy face masked pure emotional agony. Kamek was strangely enjoying it. This was the part where Bowser would, quite simply, lose his marbles. What was he going to say now; a perplex rant about Mario, a flawed promise to finally bring the Mushroom Kingdom to its knees; an implicit wish to claim the Princess' heart by simply kidnapping her? Oh, Kamek could bet his best hat on any of them.

"It's useless," Bowser grunted distastefully, "I see her eyes at the mere mention of that damn plumber."  
Kamek almost blinked off his spectacles in surprise.

"Wh...WH-what do you mean, your wickedness?"

"When he shows up to save her and takes her home in his stubby little arms." Bowser growled. His gaze hit his feet again, and his voice was abstract and soft. "... She smiles and calls out to him."  
Kamek was stuck in contemplation of what to say, being used to his more theatrically enraged or sarcastic exclamations. A minute passed until Kamek found the confidence to speak.

"Are...are we t-talking about your feeli -"

"Yes Kamek, ya dimwit!" He snapped fiercely. Kamek's only response was a silent 'oh' as he fumbled with the cuff of his sleeve. This was a new conversation.  
Bowser had never _admitted_ it.

"My impression, your devilishness, is that you are troubled about your f-f...feelin-"

"I can never make her happy..." He mumbled.  
Bowser then suddenly shot out of his chair.  
"Why the hell not!"

Kamek smiled to himself. He had totally called it on the rant.

"I bet that damn plumber doesn't give her the best room in his castle," He growled menacingly through his sharp teeth, "Heck, that butthead doesn't even have a castle! Or a military! All he's got is a spanner and a couple of pipes. That's all he is. And here _I_ am, sending the best food and drink that gets stocked in this kingdom right to her bedroom door every day she is here and _I_, with my fort and my military, keep her completely safe from harm. And then he arrives, throwing flaming piles of crap and smashing down my castle!"

Kamek only nodded slowly at Bowser and his breathless monologue, but jumped when he suddenly swung round to the small magikoopa.

"What do I do wrong, Kamek? Why does she not smile for me when I treat her so perfectly? I even brought her castle with her once so she wouldn't miss home! Her whole friggin' castle!"

Defensively, Kamek raised his hands again but then calmly gestured one for Bowser to sit back in his throne. The large Koopa growled, but sat down again dejectedly, sighing through his nostrils which expelled a heap of smoke into Kamek's face. Kamek made a loud raspberry and spluttered, with Bowser grinning goofily once again. Kamek narrowed his eyes briefly at the childish Koopa. So many answers were too easy to snap at his ill-tempered leader, but Kamek was much smarter than to do that.

"We must consider what makes her happy, your imperiousness. Such as her family, her servants, her people-"

"Don't be stupid, Kamek! I cannot kidnap the whole kingdom!" He roared, and Kamek stuttered, wobbling slightly on the tightrope of Bowser's swinging temper.

"N-n-no your powerfulness, but perhaps we convince the princess we are her people."  
Bowser cast a look in bitter disbelief, but Kamek continued calmly.  
"What I am saying is that we could use magic."  
Bowser's eyes portrayed true defensive fury.  
"N-not on the Princess, I assure you your Royalness!" Kamek responded nervously. Bowser huffed.  
"I am suggesting that we create a new Mushroom Kingdom for her to live in."  
The Koopa's face appeared to reassuringly enlighten, but then it snapped back quickly.

"And where would we find sunshine, fertile land, Toadspeople and pesky plumbers for this apparently brilliant idea?" He inquired sarcastically.  
Kamek stepped back once more and motioned his sceptre to the right of him.

"Let me demonstrate, your courageousness."  
In a flicker of pink smoke, a rather nonplussed Goomba popped up next to him. The young minion bobbed about on his padded feet in confusion to his new surroundings, and froze when he turned to a conjuring Kamek. Another flicker and whizz of colour, and the Goomba let out a squeaky growl before all of a sudden, a small, bright faced red and white Toadsman was bouncing there. He looked at his newly acquired arms and body in utter surprise.  
Bowser's shocks of red eyebrows were impressively raised. He was suddenly on his feet again.

"Gwa ha! You've got it, Kamek." He began to laugh, suddenly alive with energy, "I have a plan, and it involves kidnapping the Princess tonight. Contact our construction team in deep space. We're starting this now!"


	2. Chapter 2: Ole' fashioned dad

It was a normal lunchtime in the castle of the Mushroom Kingdom; Toadspeople were jumping in and out of the worlds in the paintings for fresh food and picnicking. Many were enjoying the sunshine around the gardens of Peach's castle.  
Peach sat a quiet vigil bathed in the sunlight on her balcony. Pale pink gossamer curtains flowed like liquid over the balcony doors, revealing the sweet pink and white bedroom inside. On the balcony sat a small table and white wooden chairs, carved with dew grass and large daises. Peach was sat neatly on one of these chairs, enjoying two custard biscuits and small glass of pinkfruit juice, overlooking the young toads learning to swim in the crisp blue water of the castle moat. This would be how Peach spent most of her lunchtimes at home; either sat inside watching the gentle rain or as she was, outside in the brilliant sunshine. Today, she was expecting a visitor.

Peach took another sip of her favourite juice and looked into the distance. Over the soft mounds of green earth surrounding her castle, the Princess gazed fondly over the many red and white mushroom houses that were dotted around the Kingdom, and the peachy-yellow sand roads that wove between them like a laced tapestry. It was a bright and colourful world, as always.

Princess Peach heard her bedroom door creak open. She tilted her head at the noise.

"Ah, you silly door! You blew my cover!"  
Peach turned gently in her chair to see a sweet strawberry brunette girl kicking her bedroom door; Princess Daisy of Sarasaland and Peach's tomboyish cousin. Daisy smiled shamelessly at the mellow-blonde watching her from the balcony and sauntered into the sunlight to greet her. Peach rose from her seat and hugged the beaming girl.  
"Heyyoo cousin!" Daisy exclaimed loudly over Peach's shoulder. She squeezed Peach even tighter and the Mushroom Princess giggled.  
Daisy then let go and plopped herself down into the other balcony chair. Peach rolled her eyes playfully and withdrew gracefully to her seat, placing her gloved hands on her lap. Daisy meanwhile leant back and crossed her legs, catching the material of her honey dress to reveal a pair of rough leather boots. Peach giggled again.

"Have you not been caught wearing those tatty things?" She said warmly while taking another sip of her drink. The Princess of Sarasaland stuck out her tongue.

"Of course I have. Can't stop me though, can they?" She grinned, and then tutted at the dainty cerulean blue heels that poked out from beneath Peach's skirt. Peach watched her shake her head disapprovingly, with a glint of amusement in her eye. However she brought her feet in beneath the hem of her dress.

"A princess of twenty-four does not wear hiking boots under her dress." Peach commented plainly.

"Oh come on, cuz', just because you're twenty-four doesn't mean you should act like an old coot like Toadsworth!"

"Are you suggesting my father wears high heels?"

Daisy winked cheekily, and they both broke out into laughter. Peach was about to make another comment, but Toadsworth himself entered her bedroom with a tray of drink and biscuits, carrying himself in that same adorably dignified manner. Both princesses caught each other glancing at his feet and giggled more. Toadsworth of course was too occupied with carrying his walking stick and the tray at the same time to notice. He placed the tray on the balcony table and readjusted his walking stick. Peach settled down.

"Thank you father," she said sweetly. Daisy didn't hesitate to pour herself an overfilled glass of the pinkfruit juice. Toadsworth was fortunately turned to Peach as Daisy promptly ran to the balcony and spat the juice right back out. Peach struggled to hide a smile from Daisy as Toadsworth began to speak to her.

"You're welcome my sweet. How is your health?"

Peach waved her hand dismissively, laughing quietly. "I am feeling wonderful, father, there is no need to wor-"

"You're unwell?" Daisy then asked, looking inquisitively at Peach and Toadsworth from the side of the balcony.

"No no, I'm fine." Peach smiled, and Toadsworth turned back to his daughter. Peach looked back up again briefly to spy Daisy mouthing 'this is disgusting' while pointing at her emptied glass. Peach leant on the table and moved her gloved hand to her mouth to hide a bursting smile.

"We have three invitations to the weddings of Princess Berry, Princess Celera and her sister, Princess Claudie."

"How wonderful! Are they this summer? We will attend them all." Peach said happily, trying not to respond to the faint look of disappointment in Toadsworth's small eyes. She was briefly lost in the emotion there, and turned away to escape from it.

"Perhaps a fourth wedding invitation may be present as well?" Daisy then said softly, in which both Toadsworth and Peach turned around to her in confusion. Daisy placed her hands behind her back and sighed, before raising her stature. She suddenly looked like a true princess.

"I wanted to visit today to ask if you would like to attend the grand wedding of... of Daisy and Luigi."

"You're marrying Luigi?" Peach exclaimed excitedly, jumping to her feet and hugging the Sarasaland Princess. Daisy broke into laughter and hugged her back while Toadsworth continued to look on in slight shock.

"Look, look! My ring!" Daisy squealed, and Peach let go briefly to see the sparkling band on Daisy's finger. She hugged her cousin again, wound up in this incredibly fairy-assed girly moment.

"It's so beautiful! Congratulations Daisy! We will most definitely come!" Was muffled over Daisy's shoulder. Peach had broken into tears of joy, and Daisy surprisingly followed suit, despite her usually strong demeanour.

"Yes, congratulations my dear Daisy!" Toadsworth then exclaimed, and patted the pommel of his walking stick in applause. Peach finally let go of Daisy, wiping her own eyes with a perfumed glove.

"I'm so happy for you and Luigi," Peach said softly, and she wiped both of Daisy's eyes while the younger princess beamed shyly.

"And now we just await the day you and Mario are wed!" Daisy then winked, and Toadsworth spluttered while a faint blush glazed Peach's cheeks. Daisy laughed at their response, until she noticed a hint of conflict in both of their eyes. Toadsworth was forcing a smile in Peach's direction, in which she was refusing to return. Her eyes were fazed over in a dreadful mist.

"Well, Luigi is waiting for me downstairs, as we are going to picnic together by the river," Daisy continued in forced obliviousness, "So I can't be keeping him!"  
Peach's smile returned and she nodded, giggling. But Toadsworth continued to stand like a statue behind her, propped on his walking stick with a smile Daisy couldn't read.  
Daisy gave one last pretty smile and skipped back through the bedroom, as Peach called out and waved goodbye to her cheerily.

As soon as the door to her bedroom closed, Peach let out a sigh that expelled all happiness from her features. She turned to her father, who only returned her gaze. Peach went to sit back in her seat and took a long drink of the juice, looking away from Toadsworth. He eventually sighed.

"My dear. You are a beautiful young Princess of great fortune. It does not bode well for a thriving kingdom."

Peach suddenly shot round to him.

"I have said many times father," she stated as coldly as her sweet voice could muster, "I want to marry my love, Mario."

"You do not love him, my daughter!"

Peach slammed her glass down as hard as she could and forced a glare.

"Yes I do! I want to marry him, father. More than anything. Why do you object?"

The elderly toad sighed in irritation.  
"A Princess cannot marry a local plumber, my sweetest. You need a Prince."  
Peach's eyes widened and she waved her hand towards the door in annoyance.  
"Princess Daisy is marrying Luigi, his brother! Did you not just witness her invitation to their _grand_ wedding?"She pointed out, the soft blue sapphires of her eyes becoming pale and fierce. Toadsworth shook his head.

"As Princess Daisy's family may approve of Luigi's proposal, this family does not of yours and Mario's. You do not love him, my dear."

Peach did not respond, but retreated into her bedroom and moved around the four-post bed to sit away from him. A tear glistened on the smooth peach of her cheek, but she banished it with a finger as the elderly Toadsworth walked in after her.

"Mario is my hero, my very close friend. Where would I be had he not rescued me from Bowser all these years? I'd be locked in a room waiting for my own Kingdom to be taken by his army." She said bitterly. "I love Mario, and I think he should truly be rewarded for what he has done for me."

"He loves you."

"And I love him."  
Toadsworth sighed again.

"As much as our brave hero has served us valiantly over the last 6 years against Bowser and his sworn darkness, a plumber is not the husband of a Queen. I ask of your health because I know and you know that you are making yourself ail with this pretend infatuation with him."

Peach did not respond.

"King Goom and his son Apelow are visiting this week to discuss agricultural trade. I would like you to have dinner with this young man. He will be a strong leader and a befitting husband for a beautiful Queen." Toadsworth said slowly, adding a fatherly smile to soften the command.  
Her face was hidden from him but the gentle twitch of her eyelashes betrayed the Princess of her growing tears. She narrowed them to harden herself, but Toadsworth, realising he'd misread his daughter, was quite finished. He turned to leave.

"He is also another young man that would dearly like your hand in marriage, more than the hand of a plumber. I suggest you take much consideration to his fondness of you, and you will grow better in health, I promise you." Was all Toadsworth added before disappearing out of the door. Peach sat in silence.

Her hand then reached for a small drawer by her bed. Gently, she withdrew a small vial and a photograph, both of which barely filled her palm. She gazed at the photo almost intently, before pulling the delicate lid off of the vial. Bringing it to her nose, she inhaled the scent. Her head spun slightly from it but she shook it off and looked back again at the picture.  
It was a well-looked after photo of a short, heavily moustached man in royal blue dungarees and a red shirt. His eyes were a brilliant light blue, and a large red cap sat upon his head. Chocolate brown sideburns poked out in front of his ears.  
Peach thought strongly of Toadsworth's words as she stared at the picture, but no matter how hard she would stare at the picture she felt no different. She smelt the vial again, but only a little as a headache began to grow. The Mushroom Kingdom liked to give Mario many presents for returning their Princess home safely from the hands of the horrible Koopa King. One of them was expensive cologne for Mario; the Princess was presented with samples to pick which one she thought smelt the nicest for him. The vial she held was the sample she picked, and now keeps hold of it as the Italian plumber has worn it since.

She did this because her father was completely right. His seemingly heartless judgements of the Princess' feelings were only because Peach knows she cannot lie. The old toad sees through her every time. Peach could hug Mario and kiss him on the nose for all the gratitude she had for the small hero... but there was no love. Peach once thought she did; a fluttering emotion that would appear when she would spy the hero bouncing over Goomba soldiers and heroically battling her spiked capturer. Many a day she would try and grasp the memory of that emotion and then try to rekindle it by thinking of Mario, looking at Mario, and smelling the scent that now reminded her ever so strongly of Mario. But it never worked.  
Peach let herself cry as she gazed at the picture, even if it now sickened her to do so. Sometimes she would try and pretend that her tears were for how much she missed Mario when he wasn't visiting her, but of course she was once again fooling herself. Perhaps it was because he would visit most mornings or evenings, to make sure Bowser had not taken her away.  
She couldn't find her heart in the romance of that, either.

Removing a glove and spilling a droplet onto her finger, she placed a little on her pillow and lay where her nose would smell it. She inhaled it too often, and she knew it was the perfume that ailed her on most days. But she wouldn't give up – not until she could convince Toadsworth that she was truly in love, and he wouldn't say a thing against her will.  
She pulled the delicate tassel that hung by the bed post to drop the veil, and watched as the silver in the embroidery glittered like stars. Closing her eyes and holding the photo to her heart, the Princess succumbed to her tears and her dizzying headache, and peacefully dreamt of sharing a picnic with Mario on the edge of the river. She knew she would wake from her dream suddenly before dinner, as after finishing the biscuits in the picnic, Mario would always lean over on the grass to try and peck on the cheek.


	3. Chapter 3: Smothering

"...Peachy?..."  
Peach finished the last of her sandwich as she cast her eyes over the river, but the strange, close voice called again.  
"Are-a you still asleep, mio amore?" The voice whispered gently. Mario was sat beside her on the grass eating a mushroom rather loudly, but the strong tang of his Italian accent waved before her face.  
"Peeaaacchhyyy," it whispered again. The world began to spin and fade and she felt a strange sensation stroke through her hair, and the weight of her own arms on her abdomen. Her head was suddenly heavy, like she was falling. Her lips went very warm, and Peach sprang into consciousness with a muffled squeal.  
She was lying in bed, her shoes unusually off and the sunset silhouette of a plumber she has too often tried to love leant over her frame. His moustached kiss irritably tickled her upper lip.  
Mario then withdrew to stroke her bedraggled hair which had tumbled onto the sheets around her, gazing at her with love struck eyes. Peach felt tired and weak, but wildly alert. She tried not to flinch as Mario slipped his arms beneath her waist and with ever surprising strength, sat her up. Peach had no choice but to lean against him, feeling his hands slide over hers silently. A faint pain sparked in the centre of her head as the scent of sweet warm cologne drifted from Mario. It inversely made her sick of Mario in seconds. Peach focused on the way his fingers gingerly drew shapes on her hands. It made her realise he was continuously drawing a heart shape. Peach didn't find it romantic at all, but smothering and strange and disconcerting. She moved her hand to hold his so he would stop.

"Buona sera, mia principessa.." he said gently. He naturally spoke in Italian when he was dreamy in the eyes. She didn't have a clue what he said. Even after the long hours of language elocution.  
Peach was going to respond sweetly in his language until she realised the phrase she was going to say was French.  
"Why are you-a sleeping at-a this time?" He then asked, seemingly counting the different hues of blue in her eyes. She sighed and squeezed his hand, breaking the gaze.  
"I had an argument with my father again."

"Oh no mio amore, what about-a?"

"About our marriage." Peach said quietly. Peach knew Mario did not like this topic for the sole reason that Toadsworth had refused his proposals every time he had asked.

"What-a did he say, Princess?"

"You need a Prince, he said," Peach whispered, feeling hurt in her chest, "a plumber is not the husband of a Queen." She partially faked a sorrowful whimper as Mario clutched her tighter to comfort her.

"Well do not-a worry Peachy, I will never stop-a loving you nonetheless."  
He said it beautifully. It stung her. Peach could not muster a heartfelt response, so she delved her face into his shoulder. The cologne was at his strongest on his neck, which made her spine twitch as the powerful scent aimed to take over her again. Mario held her even closer, as tears began to fall onto her soft cheeks.  
Peach did want marriage. But not to some man called Apelow she did not know or care for.  
In a perfect situation, it would be to somebody she loved, but she hadn't found them yet and it would be something she felt she would never do. She had met every man, every Toad, Star Sprite and possibly most Koopas, Shy Guys and even Bob-ombs, Goombas and Boos in her time in capture; it made Peach wonder if she was capable of love.

A small kiss on her neck snapped her from her thought process. She wiped her eyes with a hand she realised she hadn't placed around Mario, and listened to the soft breathing that washed over the back of her neck. Something then occurred to her.  
"How did you get in?" She asked tentatively. Toadsworth always checked on Peach every hour or so - no one would enter her room without his permission. Especially if he knew she was asleep. And especially if it was Mario.

"Well I-a... I didn't-a want to cause-a more trouble with your-a father, so I-a climbed up-a the ivy under your balcony." He said. Peach looked at him.

"You climbed up?"

"Yes-a, Peachy. I climbed up-a to see you."  
Peach continued to stare on him with disbelief.  
"It was-a quite-a easy. The ivy is-a so thick you could-a do it in-a heels!" He smiled. Peach smiled back through her tears, which brightened Mario's face to no end to see her happier.

"That is very sweet, Mario." Peach said finally, resting her head back on his shoulder even though she didn't want to. He took her hand again.

"I will always-a do it for you, Princess," he promised, "I will always-a check that-a silly Bowser has not taken-a you away from me."  
He then took both her hands and found her gaze again.  
"Bowser will-a never-a come near you ever again," he said and squeezed her hands. Peach leant in to kiss his nose gently. Mario's face went as red as a tomato, as always. Peach relieved a giggle at his expression.

"Thank you so much, Mario." Peach said, with a genuine smile. She hugged him tightly, ignoring the small kiss he planted on her cheek as she did so. If only Toadsworth would understand that Mario was the only man she could live with marrying. No Apelow was going to cut it for her. She pulled away from Mario a little too sooner than he wanted, but she tried to pay no mind to the disappointment in his eyes.  
"Do you know what time it is?" Peach asked. She usually felt hungry if it was before dinnertime, but the only organ that called out to her was the pain in her head. The sunset behind Mario on the balcony was rich with colour, but even as she glanced now it was fading into a thick layer of stars. The thought of night-time made her feel weary and drained.

"It is about-a ten or so-a," Mario replied softly, stroking a glistening tear run from her cheek. "You look-a very-a tired mio amore. You should-a go back to-a sleep."  
Peach felt his soft hands gently pull her back onto her sheets, and two small kisses on her eyelids sealed them closed. He then seemed to pause.

"You are-a still in your-a pretty dress, Peachy."

"Yes."

"Err... do you-a not want to change-a into your-a night clothing?" He whispered. Peach sighed. He was right. Her father would have much more to say if she was to sleep overnight in one of her best dresses.  
"I will-a leave the room for-a you." Mario said, helping her sit up and standing back. But Peach absent-mindedly pulled out folded nightdress from under the covers before he could even turn around, and his eyes were fixed. He blushed a deep red as he saw it was a short and thin nightdress, the sweet colour of peach.  
The immediate picture in Mario's mind of the Princess in a dainty summer nightdress made his ears steam.  
"Mamma mia, Princess..." he breathed, scratching the back of his head.

Peach gasped when she realised his response and hid it behind her. Mario waved his hands reassuringly.

"I will-a leave you-a to it, Princess," he said, "Buonanotte, mio amore." He skipped up to her quickly to give her a quick kiss, but when she leant over slightly the Princess was pulled into a surprisingly passionate lip lock. A moment later and the plumber was over the balcony and gone. Peach blinked in confusion, and then burned red when her innocent mind suggested what might have flustered Mario. Whoa, hell, she could never imagine _that_ happening. It made her blush more. Not with Mario. Not with her hero.

Peach quickly changed into her thin nightdress and lay back onto the covers. It was too warm to sleep beneath them, as it always was in the summer. She turned over briefly to see that someone had taken the photo of Mario and had placed it face down on her bedside cabinet. It could only be Toadsworth.  
Peach lifted the picture for a second to see his face, but then quickly slid it into the drawer with the vial. Yawning silently, she turned back over and fell asleep once again.


	4. Chapter 4: Poor Mario :(

A young Toadsman servant walked into Toadsworth's office and greeted him politely, despite the late hour. Lost in a book, the old fatherly Toad fumbled with his small spectacles tiredly before he addressed the servant.

"Hello there. Is everything alright, Rooba?"He asked, before coughing a little.

"You have a visitor. It is a Mario Brother!" He said, too cheerily for half eleven at night. Toadsworth nodded hesitantly.

"Well then let him in, Rooba, thank you."

Rooba left with a grin, and a red-capped man slowly made his way into the room. The door closed.  
"I am-a so sorry for-a the late visit," Mario began, removing his hat and nervously running it through his hands in front of him, "but I-a wanted to-a talk to you."

"About?" Toadsworth inquired, quietly with a tired smile.

"About-a the Princess. Your-a daughter." He replied, a sense of bravery flashing in his eyes. The red cap was back atop his head, and the small plumber gave Toadsworth a steady gaze as though the mentioning of his Princess brought infinite confidence. Toadsworth watched him for a short pause, before nodding for him to continue.  
"She is not-a happy, and it-a upsets me, if I am-a honest."

Toadsworth looked away briefly to prepare to repeat himself, but Mario stepped forward a little.

"I know you-a don't approve of the idea of-a marriage between us, but I-a can't bear to see her-a so upset." Mario's voice trailed off as Toadsworth left his seat and hobbled towards the perplexed plumber with his walking stick. He looked into the lost eyes of Mario; the boy was certainly in love. Which is why this was going to hurt.

"Mario, my friend. Understand that it is not I that does not approve of you," he said calmly, leaning on his stick nobly with two hands, "but her."  
The expression of the plumber did not change. He was in thought.  
"Peach, our Princess, is a great lover of kindness and bravery, and goodness. Over the years she has been grateful for your acts of heroism to bring her back home safely to the Kingdom and I. You are her closest and most dear friend, Mario. I am perhaps even more grateful of your actions than she is herself, for I also cannot bear to see her unhappy."

"Then-a why d-"

"No, my boy. Let me continue."  
He watched Mario's eyes sink into deep foreboding. Toadsworth's old heart ached slightly.  
"I know my daughter too well to see that she does want to marry, but her misery is why I cannot let it be you."  
Mario's eyes dilated slightly. Toadsworth gestured towards a chair, but the plumber refused to move.

"What are you-a saying, she does not want-a to-a marry me?" He asked. There was heartbreak in his voice. He was yet to hear true pain, Toadsworth thought.

"My boy, I regret to give you this news, but Peach does not love you."  
Mario froze, but then his fists clenched.

"But.. That-a can't-a be-a true!" He exclaimed, his eyes deep as seabed stones. Toadsworth knew he had hit a wave of doubt in the young plumber's mind.  
"She-a told me she-a loved me!" He said, and then repeated, to himself. Toadsworth walked towards the stricken hero and gingerly placed a small hand on his firm arm. Mario flinched at the contact, desperately looking for deceit in her father's eyes. There was none. Just crushed sympathy.  
"Why would she-a lie to me about-a loving me! Why would she-a want to marry me!" Mario demanded, but the strength was lost when his voice cracked. His chest was heaving.

"I can see why she never had the strength or the heart to tell you herself," Toadsworth said, noting a faint rim of moisture in Mario's blue eyes. He quickly hardened them.  
"I think that once, in her youth did our Princess have feelings for you. But now she is a woman that wants to marry. If I allowed this marriage I am afraid that the princess would live the rest of her days upset that she cannot fall in love with you. I see that she makes herself cold and unwell in attempt to force her heart, and I cannot bear it any longer."

Mario continued to look into Toadsworth's eyes, but his mind was in another place.

"But... I-a comfort her...I..."

The elderly Toad placed his hand back on the pommel of his walking stick.

"I am sorry, I know you do, hero."

Both stood for a while longer to the shallowness of Mario's breathing. He suddenly stopped and brought his eyes back into focus.

"No."

Toadsworth raised his eyebrows.

"I don't-a want to believe-a you." He said quietly.

"I understand."

Mario turned to leave, but looked back briefly to see that Toadsworth was gazing solemnly to one side.  
He closed the door and retreated back down the corridor to the main entrance.

Two Toad guards greeted him as he passed them through the main doors, and Mario was suddenly under the light of a full moon. Pacing over to a group of trees in the gardens and sitting beneath an apple tree, Mario watched the moon slowly disappear behind a thick foggy cloud. It reminded him of a time he had brought Peach out one night to stroll in the gardens. She had asked to sit in a secluded area near the tall fronds by the river, in which Mario was taken by surprise by a small kiss, and Peach had made a remark about how his face had lit up so red that it glowed more than the moon.  
Mario blushed faintly at the memory, but he then frowned, his eyes distant. The Peach by the palm fronds certainly wanted to marry him. Another time, Mario had stepped out of his room one morning to find that the Princess had arrived and was wearing his hat in the kitchen, Luigi laughing and applauding her new attire. Peach had then jumped over to him and hugged him tight, despite the fact he was presently in an unbuttoned pyjama top and trousers. He'd blushed then too, as she'd explained that she'd walked all the way down just to see him. Peach loves him. Doesn't she? Perhaps Toadsworth just wants her to marry a prince and risk destroying the dignity of the Mushroom Kingdom, like he had told Peach.  
Mario put his head in his hands. Eventually, the need of sleep dawned on him. He looked up wearily to find that he was completely alone in the faint moonlight, sat amongst the wildlife. It was serene and peaceful; he decided he didn't want to go home to Luigi (and possibly Daisy).  
The plumber glanced over to the castle. Peach's balcony could clearly be seen, and the thick ivy that crept up the stone walls and circled the opening to her bedroom. He felt a great urge to climb back up and close the balcony doors for her – just for his own peace of mind – but he was tired enough to reassure himself that there was no need. He'd be right there waiting to spring out to protect her if anything was ever to happen.


End file.
